Yellow Crocus

Yellow Crocus, Book 1

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Moments after Lisbeth is born, she’s taken from her mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse, Mattie, a young mother separated from her own infant son in order to care for her tiny charge. Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come. Though Lisbeth leads a life of privilege, she finds nothing but loneliness in the company of her overwhelmed mother and her distant, slave-owning father. As she grows older, Mattie becomes more like family to Lisbeth than her own kin and the girl’s visits to the slaves’ quarters - and their lively and loving community - bring them closer together than ever. But can two women in such disparate circumstances form a bond like theirs without consequence? This deeply moving tale of unlikely love traces the journey of these very different women as each searches for freedom and dignity.

Revised edition: This edition of Yellow Crocus includes editorial revisions.

Laila IbrahimBahni TurpinBrilliance AudioYellow Crocus

Family Life

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Historical Fiction

Heartfelt

Inspiring

Thought-Provoking

Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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It is quite rare for me to read and enjoy a book that is character rather than plot driven but this one is an exception to the rule. The novel centres on the relationship between Lisbeth, eldest child of white plantation owners and Mattie, her black wet nurse, a relationship that transcends race, colour, creed and age. There are many occasions when their love and respect for each other is obvious and although helpless to change Mattie’s slave status Lisbeth neither views her nor treats her as a slave.

The fact that Mattie is able to wet nurse Lisbeth shows that she has been torn away from her own child, a boy that she only permitted to see weekly. There is a very sad episode where she struggles to breastfeed him because he hasn’t bonded with her. Despite this Mattie doesn’t resent Lisbeth for the enforced separation.

This is a beautifully written book, very easy to read and very difficult to put down. It doesn’t shy away from horrors of slavery but it also tells of the courage and strength of both the leading ladies who ultimately want to escape from an unacceptable lifestyle and enter a world where all humans are treated equally.